I’ve dreamed of going back to experience Budapest ever since Mom and I went on a cruise down the Danube River in 2008 and missed a day in Budapest because of some flight delays. I figured while I was in Eastern Europe, I would also check out Prague. I couldn’t find anyone else that wanted to do this so I decided to go alone.
My flight out of Austin didn’t leave until 6:20 PM on Tuesday May 9th, which gave me plenty of time to get ready and drive to the hotel where I parked my car. The flight to London took 11 hours and I got a couple of hours sleep while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. I had a 3 hour layover at Heathrow, which became a meaningful experience. There was a really sweet young man that came to get me with a wheelchair when it was time to catch the next flight because the gate for my flight had been changed. He took me a really long way, with me pushing my folded walker. He would say “Hard right or left” when we neared a corner so I could angle the walker in the right direction, he was practically running to get me to my next flight. We both laughed a lot along the way. He dropped me off at an ambulance which drove me out to the plane, that was parked out on the tarmac.
We got to Budapest Hungary at 9:00 PM on May 10th. I ate a unique dinner of goulash soup (very different from the goulash I make) with really good rolls that were served with this cream cheese, paprika and garlic spreed at the Mercure Korona hotel. After eating I walked around the shops near the hotel, it was a really cute area but only 53 degrees there. I got to bed around 11:30 which would have been 4:30 PM at home but I had gotten 3 hours of sleep in the last 36 hours, so I was tired! It was a twin bed with a thin sofa bed mattress on it but I was too tired to care.
This is a picture of the cute cafe across from the hotel.
On Thursday the 11th, I got up at 8:00 and had a really good breakfast of eggs, bacon and sweet rolls that was free with the room. I then took a taxi to the place where I could catch the Hop On/Hop Off bus for 12 Euros for a two day ticket and rode all around this lovely city listening to the commentary once before I got off at the Great Market Hall. This was a huge building with hundreds of little shops, kiosks and cafes on two floors that sold cheese, meat, paprika, booze, clothes and souvenirs of every kind. I must have walked for miles but I bought me and Pam (friend from the Baca Center) some Paprika and me and Marlene (roommate) a t-shirt.
I got back to the hotel at 8:00 PM, where I had a salmon dinner then went to my room, showered and went to bed. I watched TV for a while but the only English speaking stations they had were CNN, CNBC and Nickelodeon, so I got bored with that pretty quick.
This is outside the Great Market Hall.
Friday, May 12th, was a tiring but very exciting day. I left the hotel at 9:00 AM and took a taxi to St. Stephen’s Basilica which is the city’s largest church with a massive dome that can be seen from almost anywhere on the Pest side of the Danube river. The church holds a wonderful collection of art, the sanctuary has a white marble statue of King (St.) Stephen I, Hungary’s first king and patron saint. Stephen’s mummified right hand is in the Holy Right Chapel.
When I left the church I caught the ‘Hop on/Hop off’ bus and rode it to the Synagogue; it was a beautiful place with so much wonderful and some horrifying history. In the middle of the Synagogue was a U-shaped grassy area with pictures along the wall of hundreds of bodies piled there by the Nazis, they were buried under the grass. I ate lunch there then took the bus to a place 3 blocks from the ‘House of Terror’. I was exhausted by the time I walked there over cobble stones and broken up sidewalks. I spent 3 hours there walking around the exhibits and pictures of life and atrocities with head phones telling me about life in Budapest under Nazi, then Communist control. It was a very sad and depressing experience. I was too tired to walk back the 3 blocks to catch the bus, so I took a taxi back to the hotel.
Then I had what is becoming a normal experience for me……I got locked in the bathroom in my room! I had to push the emergency button in the bathroom so someone would come and open the door. They thought I was having a heart ache or something. I was so embarrassed.
May 13th was a nice relaxing day. After breakfast I took a taxi to the Hungarian National Gallery; I love checking out different countries artistic culture, past and present. I had a bit of a problem at the beginning I’m afraid. The taxi dropped me off at the staff entrance for some reason, which I didn’t realize until I tried to get in the door. So I walked a block over cobblestones, in my rollator-walker, to what I thought was the entrance only to find out I was at the wrong building! I was so frustrated, but I started walking to the correct building and saw this area overlooking Budapest.
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I finally got to the right building entrance and walked into the Gallery. I was tired and hungry by this time, so I stopped in their coffee shop for a diet coke and sandwich. When I entered the Gallery they offered me a wheelchair and I accepted. So I got to spend over 3 hours enjoying the Hungarian art work comfortably. I caught a taxi back to the hotel around 5:00 then walked down the street to a cute cafe, I sat with a really nice man from Finland and we told each other our life stories as we ate chicken paprikash.
My flight to Prague wasn’t until 2:40 PM on Sunday the 14th, so I got up late and after breakfast walked around the area around the hotel. It was such a neat, quaint area with cute shops and cafes, I really enjoyed it. I landed in Prague at 4:00 but it was after 6:00 by the time I got to the hotel. The guy that drove the shuttle to the hotel was really interesting and told me a lot of history of places we drove by. I made it a relaxing day by just getting orientated to my room and then having dinner at the hotel. I kicked back and read my book ‘Dodge City’ the rest of the evening; I would have enjoyed watching TV but again the only stations they had were CNN, CNBC and Nickelodeon.
On May 15th, after breakfast, I took the hotel taxi to the center where I could get a ‘City Pass’ ticket. From there I got on the site seeing bus, with my City Pass and they drove us around the city telling us about sites of interest. The guy wasn’t very interesting I’m afraid, I guess it was getting pretty boring to him to repeat the same information over and over each day. I learned that the bus was letting us off at the castle for a walking tour, which I was told would be too difficult for me because of all of the stairs. The bus driver said he’d take me to Old Town Square after the rest of the people got off the bus.
The Old Town Square in Prague is considered to be the heart of the city and it is truly magical. The square is huge and surrounded by beautiful buildings like the elegant tower of the Town Hall with the world famous Astronomical Clock, which on the hour has statuettes of the Apostles walk around the top of the clock. You can also see the proud silhouette of the fairy-tale Týn Cathedral, the monumental Church of St. Nicholas and countless multicolored houses of many styles lend that this place a unique atmosphere, which will captivate you if you decide to check out the charm.
I met two ladies from California while I was walking around, they were my age and really sweet so we stuck together and observed the Astronomical Clock chime the hour then had lunch together, I really enjoyed spending time with them. After separating with them I walked around some more and checked out a number of the small shops around the square. I bought a cute clock with a picture of Prague on it, a magnet and a picture of the Charles Bridge.
That evening, after I got back to the hotel, I had dinner then got a massage before I went back to my room. It was a wonderful day where I got a feel of the city’s history and culture and got to meet some nice people, what a blessing.
The 16th was a more or less laid back day. I took a taxi back to the Old Town Square and bought a ticket for the ‘Hop on/Hop off’ tour bus. I got on the blue line and rode around the city again hearing commentary about the different points of interest; this guy was a lot more entertaining and interesting. I hopped off the bus at the Kampa Island stop. I could just see the Island across the way but it looked beautiful. There were some cute shops and cafes on the side of Charles Bridge where I was so I roamed around there. I went into the Olympia Restaurant for a late lunch. I had a cold cut platter with this really good fried cheese bread.
I just strolled around enjoying the atmosphere the rest of the afternoon. I came to a busy, cobblestone street that I needed to cross that looked very dangerous. I stood there trying to figure out how to accomplish this when a really sweet couple from Seattle, Washington came up and offered to help me cross the street. I caught a taxi on the other side of the street back to the hotel. I was charged 480 kronas for the trip.
Wednesday, the 17th was a tiring day, simply because I must have walked 10 miles. I took a taxi back to Kampa Island and caught the ‘Hop on/Hop off’ bus again. I took that to the Prague Castle and hopped off. It took me an hour to walk from the bus stop to inside the castle. It was a long way and the streets and sidewalks were a mess. I took some neat picture while I was there but accidentally deleted them. The only place to get something to eat at the castle was in this grassy area up some stairs. Some nice people helped me up and down the stairs to the cafe. It was heart warming how many nice people I met on this trip.
The bus driver called me a taxi from Kampa Island. It was a AAA taxi and he only charged me 90 kronas, but I gave him 200. I mean the guy the day before charged me 480 kronas for the same trip!
I got a wake-up call at 3:00 AM on Thursday the 18th because I had to be at the airport at 4:30 for my 6:00 flight! It only took 2 ½ hours to get to London, then I had a 4 hour layover at Heathrow before I caught my 9 ½ hour flight back to Austin. The seats were cramped, but I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep on the way. This was a real experience that I enjoyed because I could do things at my own speed but I don’t think I’ll take another trip out of the country by myself because it’s more fun when I can share the experience with someone.